


Forest Fire

by MyGoldenEyes



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Earth Spirit AU, I'll reveal everything through the story, M/M, fire spirits, i have a plan don't worry, it will be gay, it's already kinda gay, it's kinda complicated, wodland spirits, you'll understand eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-04 07:03:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12163899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyGoldenEyes/pseuds/MyGoldenEyes
Summary: Everyone is descended from spirits of the earth. Fire, earth, ice, wind, nature. They have abilities that correspond with their spirit.Connor is a raging fire.Evan in a tranquil forest.Will their combination be beautiful or catastrophic?





	1. Kindling

Heat, terrible, all-consuming heat. It was coming off of Connor Murphy in waves. Evan shrunk back, afraid of what this boy could do to him.

Evan shouldn’t have laughed. It was a nervous tick. A knee-jerk reaction to the tense moment. But still it was Evan’s fault, he’d upset Connor and now he would pay for it. Evan had heard of the things Connor did to people. There was a rumor that he had been the one to give Tristan Keller the burn on his forearm, though that could have just been a cooking accident. Still, there was a chance.

“Did you think that was fucking funny Hansen?” Connor knew his name. This fact was very unsettling to Evan. Connor reached forward and grabbed the front of Evan’s shirt, pulling Evan towards him. The heat was worse the more agitated Connor got. Connor’s fingers began to burn through Evan’s shirt. The heat stung at Evan’s chest and tears began to fill his eyes. Still, he couldn’t say a word.

“The fuck was that Hansen? You’re just gonna stand there like the freak you are?” Evan gulped and nodded, unsure of what else to do. Connor scoffed and shoved Evan away. Connor’s hands on Evan’s shoulders burned. All of Connor burned. He was an all-consuming fire. He would destroy everything in his way, and Evan was in his way.

Evan fell to the ground and curled in on himself, prepared for more of the burning pain. But it was gone. He heard sneakers squeak on the tile and he looked up. Connor had stormed away. Evan was safe.

***

At lunch, Evan found himself in the courtyard. This was not unusual for a woodland spirit, there were several others out with Evan. Woodland spirits tended to keep to themselves so there was no danger of conversation in the courtyard. Well, no conversation aside from the one Evan was currently having with a little magnolia sapling.

Evan had the ability to communicate with plants. He used this ability to talk about his problems with plants. Jared called it pathetic but Evan’s therapist, Dr. Sherman, said it was for the best and as much as Jared’s words stung Evan trusted his Therapist more.

“And then he shoved me to the ground. It really hurt. You know he’s a fire spirit, not good for people like me. I shouldn’t have upset him, it’s really my fault.”

The plant let off a feeling, something like indignance or disbelief. The sentiment was clear ‘it’s not always your fault’. Evan laughed and shook his head.

“No, really it’s my fault.”

“It’s not.” Evan jumped at the voice. He turned as best as he could in his seated position.

“Connor!” Connor wouldn’t meet Evan’s eyes. He instead opted to look down at his converse. Both of his hands were on the strap of his messenger bag. He pulled on it slightly, a small movement that Evan wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t so familiar to him, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. Um…I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Shut the fuck up Hansen.” Evan flinched and took a step back. Regret broke across Connor’s face. He made a motion to reach out to Evan but quickly pulled his hand back, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I just meant it’s not your fault. I- I overreacted. I shouldn’t have hurt you. I did hurt you…didn’t I?”

Evan shook his head and pulled anxiously at his shirt collar. This unfortunate action revealed the burn that had started blister soon after Connor had left him in the hallway.

“What the fuck! You’re fucking lying to me! I can fucking see that right there.” Evan’s eyes widened and he pulled his shirt up.

“N-no I just meant it’s ok. It doesn’t hurt that badly. I can fix it when I get home. I have a nice aloe plant that can make something that will make it hurt less. He won’t mind. I burn myself all the time.”

Connor raised an eyebrow at Evan. He licked his lips before speaking again, “What do you mean “he won’t mind”?” Evan chuckle nervously before clamping his hand over his mouth and apologizing, “I don’t fucking care.”

Evan apologized again and started to explain, “I’m a woodland spirit. Plants are my friends. I’m sorry that’s a really weird thing to say. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I just meant I can communicate with them. It’s not like plants are my only friends, I mean I don’t have other friends but I mean…I’m sorry.” Evan trailed off awkwardly.

Connor had started laughing somewhere in the middle of Evan’s mini-rant. Evan furrowed his eyebrows and pouted. He brought a hand up to rub his arm awkwardly.

“That’s the saddest fucking thing I’ve ever heard,” Evan let out a small laugh and nodded his head in agreement.

“It is pretty sad.”

The two stood in awkward silence for several moments before Connor spoke again, “Would you maybe like to get coffee sometime?”

Evan raised an eyebrow, “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Fuck no!” Connor responded instantly. Evan was slightly hurt at how appalled at the idea Connor was, not that he wanted to date Connor, it was just hurtful, “I just meant maybe it would be nice for you to have some human friends.”

Evan pouted again and Connor gave him an apologetic smile. Still, Evan agreed to coffee. He had no idea what had gotten into him but he said yes and they planned a day. The coming Friday.

Evan was looking forward to Friday.


	2. A Cool Breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan says some choice words to Jared and Alana has some things to say to Evan.

On Thursday Evan encountered a problem. He didn’t like coffee. It intensified his anxiety and made him jittery. But was Evan supposed to do? Someone actually wanted to spend time with him, he couldn’t say no. Especially not to Connor. To deal with this problem Evan found himself talking to the only other person Evan had that even resembled a friend.

“But Jared I don’t like coffee!” Jared looked at Evan like he was the biggest idiot on the planet.

“I feel like that isn’t the biggest issue here plant boy. Didn’t he fucking burn you? He’s a psycho. Why are you going on a date with him in the first place?”

Evan looked away and pulled at the hem of his shirt, “I just want a friend,” he mumbled this, he couldn’t even understand what he’d just said.

“What was that. You know I don’t have fucking super hearing.” Something small snapped in Evan. A little dam burst. Pent-up emotion.

“I said I just want a friend Jared. We aren’t friends and you know that. You’re just a leech. You think I can’t tell when you drain my life energy but I freaking can. You’re such a jerk and you just pick on me. So forgive me for wanting to spend time with someone that actually wants to spend time with me!”

Jared looked dumbstruck. His mouth hung open and he blinked several times before resuming his indifferent joking expression.

“Well, would you look at that. The shy little baby finally speaking his mind. If you’d just told me you felt like that I wouldn’t even fucking bother. Go on, hang out with your new friend you ungrateful little shit.” The last bit was added under his breath as Jared turned to walk away from Evan.

Guilt bit at Evan but he pushed it out of the way. This was for the best, it’s not like he wanted Jared around. Everything Evan had said was true. But then why did he regret every word. Before he had time to ponder this he felt a floaty presence sweep in next to him.

“That didn’t seem like a friendly interaction.” Evan looked around to see Alana Beck, the school’s only wind spirit. Evan tried to respond but Alana didn’t give him time, “I have my fair share of acquaintances and I happen to be one of the certified natural helpers, we had training on how to counsel and advise other students in times of crisis. So if you need some help I would be happy to assist you.”

“Actually I’m fine, thank you-” Evan was only able to get in a few words before Alana was off again.

“You’re a woodland spirit aren’t you. Isn’t it funny how we say people are spirits when they’re really just descended from spirits? There are hardly any purebred spirits anymore. Last year I did a research project on woodland spirits. The abilities you guys have are very interesting. Can you control plants like some other woodland spirits? Or can you just communicate with them? I’ve read that some woodland spirits have healing powers.”

Evan had given up on trying to get a word in and instead decided to just listen to what Alana had to say. She continued on for some time about woodland spirits. It was surprising how much she knew. In the middle of a sentence about the unnaturally long lifespan of woodland spirits, she looked down at her watch.

“Oh, would you look at that it’s almost time for chess club. I should really get going.” With that, she was gone and Evan was left alone with his thoughts.

Evan opened his locker. He looked at the potted daisy he had been given by his biology teacher that he would be taking home that night. It seemed to be dropping slightly so he pressed his finger to the base of the plant. He willed the plant to get better and it actually worked for once. The daisy must have had a resilient spirit since it was really up to the plant if they got better or not.

“You know I still don’t like coffee,” The plant laughed at Evan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr- autisticauthorgabs


	3. Warmth

Evan waited anxiously out front of the school. Connor had promised to pick him up there but was currently running about twenty minutes late. This was very odd since in theory all Connor had to do was to get his car from the lot. However, Evan had a theory that Connor had not been at school at the time of the dismissal. He knew that Connor had a tendency to skip, there were rumors about his many absences, ranging from him just not caring to a very detailed theory that Connor was dying and all of his time out of school was spent at a hospital. Though the more accepted theory was that Connor left school to get high in some park somewhere.

A car pulling up in front of Evan pulled him out of his own thoughts and back to the present. Connor sat in a beat up truck very uncharacteristic of his families rumored wealth. Connor was looking down at the steering wheel and made no indication that he even knew Evan was there. After several moments of hovering outside of the vehicle, Connor turned to Evan and snapped at him to get in the car. Evan jumped and quickly opened the door and hopped into the seat.

There was an awkward silence while Connor shifted the car out of park and began to drive out of the parking lot. Evan nervously pulled at the hem of his shirt and looked around, trying to find anything to talk about but too hesitant to actually start a conversation.

“What kind of music do you like Hansen?” Evan startled at the question but quickly regained his composure.

“Um..instrumental, ambient noise, Ed Sheeran, and um...musicals,” Evan mumbled the last word and turned his head towards the window, hoping Connor wouldn’t hear. But then again Evan had never been particularly lucky.

“Musicals?” Connor chuckled and brought a hand up to cover his mouth. His eyes flitted over towards Evan for a split second before returning to the road. Evan briefly considered jumping out of the moving vehicle to escape the situation. “I’m sorry. That’s not funny or anything it’s just I really like musicals too. What’s your favorite, I’ve got like fucking twenty on my phone.”

Evan rapidly blinked, trying to make sense of the information that had just been presented to him. Connor Murphy, Connor murphy who threw a printer at Mrs. G in the third grade. Connor Murphy who cut off Catlyn’s H’s braid in middle school. Connor Murphy who shoved Evan in the hallway a few days ago. That Connor Murphy liked musicals. Evan couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips.

“You tell a soul you die.” despite the small glare Connor gave Evan, his lips were quirked up and his voice held no venom.

Moments later Connor tossed Evan his phone and instructed him to plug it up and pick his favorite. Evan looked through Connor’s selection and was surprised to see that Connor’s estimation “like fucking twenty” was actually pretty accurate. Connor musicals ranging from as old as Fantasticks to things like Bandstand. Evan searched for a while before selecting a song.

Music filled the silence that had been enveloping the car and Connor laughed again, “Of course you’d choose Mister Cellophane! Couldn’t you at least have picked the musical version instead of the movie?”

Evan mumbled something about liking the movie better and Connor picked up a water bottle from the cup holder and threw it at him. Evan flinched and knocked it away then yelped upon realizing the water in the bottle was boiling hot.

“Fuck I’m sorry!” Evan shook his head and tried to explain away the little incident. He subconsciously put his hand over his chest, “God! We shouldn’t have done this. I can’t believe I scared you into spending time with me.”

Connor pulled the car over by the sidewalk and put it in park, “Get out, you clearly don’t want to be here.”

Evan shook his head vigorously trying to form words to explain that he did want to be with Connor. That today had been the only thing he’d been thinking about all week. Nothing came out.

“Fucking get out Hansen.” Evan shook his head and swallowed.

“N-no. I want to be here. I swear. It’s ok. I get it. You can’t control what you do, it’s ok. I’m not mad. Jared hurts me on purpose all the time so it’s ok if it’s um...if it’s an accident…” Evan trailed off, realizing he had said too much. The heat that had been slowly building up in the car decreased for a moment before Connor processed what Evan said.

“What do you mean Kleinman hurts you on purpose?” Evan shook his head.

“It’s nothing it’s just sometimes he’ll touch my arm and freeze my skin, or freeze my plants. It’s nothing. It’s not like we talk anymore anyways…”

Connor didn’t push Evan anymore but he did start driving again.

“We’ll be there in about five minutes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: autisticauthorgabs


End file.
